First Light Bookshop brings coffee, community to Hyde Park

“We came into this space and it was completely empty,” Cafe Supervisor Westley Williamson said. “[There were] not even shelves on the walls.”

Now, a stained glass window reflects color onto the fiction stacks, and tiled floors give way to wooden shelves and padded reading nooks. In the back of the store, a kids corner is a secluded sanctuary for a plethora of children’s literature and toys.

A coffee bar with cafe seating greets customers as they walk through the front doors, and its window bridges the building to a courtyard with communal table seating.

The impact

Utilizing the collaborative space, community programming is integrated into First Light’s neighborhood presence. The store offers children’s book readings on Wednesday mornings and chess club on Wednesday nights; Thursday evening trivia; rotating book clubs and featured authors’ readings; and special events like a tree lighting accompanied by mulled wine during Christmas time.

“Not everything has to have a profit motive to it,” Fulfillment and Operations Supervisor Jason Pollard said. “Having that be a directive is, it feels almost corny to say, life-changing.”

Now, over a year since its inception, the response from the community has defied expectations, Williamson said. With a popular membership program that offers perks like free drip coffee, customers line up at 6 a.m. in preparation for the coffee window to open at 7 a.m.

Williamson also said First Light has loyal regular customers who’ve built friendships with the baristas and booksellers.

“They see the same people every day—they know these people really well and they know each other really well, and we've all worked really hard to take care of each other,” Mayo said. “I think when you walk in and you meet the people who work here, you know that we all care about each other, and that they in turn take care of this community.”

Amongst both the book and bar side of the business, a vast majority of the team has been with First Light since its infancy.

“I think that’s because they feel the community that we’re building, [and] they’re proud to be a part of it,” Mayo said. “I think they feel a lot of pride and responsibility in what they’ve helped create.”

The shop is a respite from the fast-paced nature of most businesses and coffee shops, not just for the customers, but the staff, Williamson said. With backgrounds in the hospitality and service industries, both Williamson and Mayo said the same thing: the job came at a time when they were close to burning out.

“This isn’t just like a typical business,” Williamson said. “There’s some intentionality, like almost wearing their heart on their sleeve.”

This vulnerability was conscious, Mayo said. She hoped to bridge the things she loved about hospitality in a way that felt lasting, which she said means prioritizing not only the neighborhood community, but the staff community as well.

“It’s both ordinary and very profound, and I think there’s a ton of beauty in that,” Mayo said.

The annual membership program costs an annual fee of $99, which includes free drip coffee daily, 20% off book purchases, free neighborhood book delivery within 5 miles and admittance to certain members-only programming.

• 4300 Speedway, Austin
• www.firstlightaustin.com